This Indian film is a surface attempt at Kafka. When a poor villager steals some coconuts to feed his starving family, he is accused of a greater crime, that of murdering a local notable, because officials running for re-election need a scapegoat to placate the public. The Communist party vows to the man’s wife that they’ll help the man, but instead of demanding his release, they lobby for his execution to be carried out with a modern “electronic chair” that will kill him painlessly. In becoming the first person to die by the chair, his family is assured financial remuneration, and he is lionized as a hero. The story is a better idea than its execution, which lacks finesse, and is missing the dark humor and menace that underlies Kafka’s works.

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New England Underground Film Festival Seeks EntriesThe New England Underground Film Festival is now seeking entries for its 5th annual event, to be held October 3 at the University of Hartford’s Gray Conference Center, located in West Hartford, Connecticut. Programmed by Film Threat’s Phil Hall, this festival celebrates the best in contemporary underground cinema. The final deadline for entries is July 15; entry information is online at http://newenglanduff.webs.com.